The Girl the Forest Devoured
by CovertCobalt
Summary: A young woman becomes lost in the forest and is helped home by a kindly Fae. A cautionary tale.


Holly was only nineteen years old when the grove devoured her.

She'd wandered only a few steps too far from the long, winding path that linked her village to the shrine at the center of the forest, but it was enough. By the time she realized her mistake and turned her head, there were only thorny vines behind her. She bloodied her hands trying to uncover a path that had long since faded away. She wiped her bloody palms on her dress and walked on, hoping to find another way out.

Of course, the grove did not have another way out, at least not for lost girls like Holly. It was far too hungry to allow such a thing.

In time, Holly grew weary from her wandering and sat upon the gnarled stump of a yew tree to eat bread and wildberries. One lost offering to the shrine meant little compared to starving in the wilds, she reasoned. She did not realize she was simply trading one offering for another: fruits of the earth for fruits of the flesh.

When the sun set and the shining stars came out, Holly called out to the moon for guidance. Peeking between the twisted branches of the grove, the moon remained silent. Another answered her call instead, his voice like beautiful stained-glass shattering.

" _To stray from the path is perilous, for creatures such as you,"_ the voice said from the shadows, " _The forest will devour you, as surely as the horizon devours the setting sun."_ A man, or something like one, emerged into the moonlight, revealing gray, spindly limbs adorned with dried blossoms.

Holly, despite the stories she'd been told of foolish girls and elfin men, curtsied in return, charmed by his strange beauty. She shared her tale of waylaid path and distant home, which the man-like thing heard with care. He sighed in sympathy and spoke again, his voice yet sweeter still.

" _My dear girl, I feel for you, for the forest is cruel. It stole your home and temple too, without a single tear."_ The man-like thing bent near her then and offered her a crystal flower. " _This little gift will lead the way to where you belong. A tragedy you will avoid, with this boon on your side."_

The girl, overcome with joy, took the flower from his long-fingered hand. She kissed his cold cheek and hastened to where the flower guided her. She traveled far beneath the moon, but never once did tarry. Before the dawn, she stood before a cobbled bridge above a rushing river.

As she crossed, she heard a voice, now familiar to her ears. A voice of beautiful, razor-sharp glass. " _I fear I must ask a simple, common boon. After all, it is my flower that leads you to asylum."_ The man-like thing stood in the water, his hat between his hands. " _Standing in this frigid stream, I must admit discomfort. I would just ask you for a drop of the hot blood in your veins. Surely that would keep my cold heart warm."_

Holly could not refuse him such a simple offer. She smeared a drop from the thorny wounds that adorned her gentle hands and let it plummet from the bridge. A hungry smile crossed his face as he caught the droplet and he waved her off with good cheer. She continued on her way, noticing for the first time the chill of the night air.

Hours later, the sun had still not risen. She now found herself within a meadow of violet blossoms that seemed to drink in the moonlight. Sitting in the middle was the man-like thing again. Except, he wasn't quite the same; his skin was fair and rosy. Holly lifted one gray hand and waved it in greeting, not noticing that her bloodied hands had long since become clear.

The man-like thing stood slowly, his long legs stretching toward the sky. Again, he smiled softly and spoke with his glass voice. " _I commend you for your tenacity, you're more than halfway home. To my shame, I must ask again for a humble gift."_ He bent low, his beetle-black eyes glittering in the moonlight. _"The forest here is lonely, as you have seen this night, so I beg of you a joyful laugh, to keep me company."_

Holly, feeling sympathy for the man-like thing, let forth a joyous laugh, filling the empty night with jubilation. The man-like thing breathed deep, his slitted nostrils flaring, and flashed a hungry grin again. Then, he loosed his own frigid laugh, and the forest laughed with him.

She left quickly then, worry quickening her steps. By the time the laugh's last echoes left, she'd crossed the meadow and entered the dark forest once again. If she'd paused to look at her reflection in a passing stream, she would've seen that her blues were now inky-black and filled with stars. She wrapped her cloak more closely around her.

When she saw the man-like thing for a third time, standing beside a massive oak, she felt little surprise. His spindly fingers curled around a thick branch as she approached, and she could see the deep blue of his eyes even from so far below his face. She stopped before him, the silver blossom held loosely in her grip.

Before long, his voice cut through the night like sharp glass, awakening the sounds of distant laughter. " _A final boon, I ask of you, before you find your way. It's a trifling thing, a minor gift, I assure you."_ He bent low again and looked into his eyes with Holly's own. " _You have been generous with warmth and company both, my dear. I ask of you: give me your heart's love."_ His wide smile turned hungry once more.

Holly dropped the silvered flower upon the forest floor and took a step away. Surely, she couldn't give her love to a creature such as this, a man-like thing of the shadowed forest. Yet, her heart, full of cold fog instead of blood, bade her answer his demand. Her mouth, empty of laughter, betrayed her once again, even as her alien eyes did the same.

The man-like thing smiled with Holly's mouth. _"Holly, my love, you've made this night most memorable. Come with me and we shall make each night just as joyous!"_ He offered her his bony hand.

Holly took it. As she walked deeper in the forest, she could feel her blood swirling in his veins.

Before long, the two of them, girl and man-like thing, disappeared into the forest's depths. Hungrily, it devoured her. The man-like thing was satisfied too, for the forest's belly was his own, and a mortal girl was a fine meal indeed.


End file.
